Bioeconomic evaluation of pasture sheep finishing using castor bean cake

This study evaluates the economic viability of sheep finishing systems on irrigated Tamani grass pasture under continuous stocking, using castor bean cake. Four production systems were simulated: sheep supplemented with soybean meal on pasture fertilized with urea (SMUR), sheep supplemented with detoxified castor bean cake on pasture fertilized with urea (CCdUR), sheep supplemented with soybean meal on pasture fertilized with in natura castor bean cake (SMCC) and sheep supplemented with detoxified castor bean cake on pasture fertilized with in natura castor bean cake (CCdCC). A minimum unit of 3 hectares and an average slaughter weight of 28 kg were considered. A minimum selling price, at which the least profitable system would become profitable, was stablished: US$2.38 and US$ 4.45/kg per kilogram of body weight and carcass weight equivalent, adopting a minimum rate of return of 3.5% per year, based on the Selic rate. The costs for organic fertilization were 46.01% higher than in systems using chemical fertilization. The selling of live animals was not attractive in any of the systems evaluated, and the opposite was observed for the selling of carcasses and non-carcass components. System SMUR proved to be more profitable, with a gain of US$ 0.53 per kg carcass. Keywords: concentrated supplementation; internal rate of return; profitability; Ricinus communis L; Santa Inês

Instrumentalno određivanje teksture i senzorskih svojstava fermentiranih mliječnih napitaka pripremljenih od rekonstituirane kozje sirutke i starter-kultura Streptococcus thermophilus i Lactobacillus casei

The effects of Lactobacillus casei BGP93 used as adjunct culture on the physicochemical, textural and sensory characteristics of a dairy beverage processed with goat Coalho cheese whey powder and Streptococcus thermophilus TA-40 as starter (ST-LC beverage) were investigated in comparison to a control product (ST beverage) without L. casei. No significant differences were observed between the ST and ST-LC trials concerning the acidification pattern throughout the fermentation process (P>0.05). Post-acidification was also not observed for both trials since their pH values were maintained stable, without significant differences during 21 days at 4 ± 1 °C. This pH stability reinforced the maintenance of firmness, consistency, cohesiveness and viscosity index without significant differences between the sampling periods throughout the whole storage in both trials, and also that no significant difference was verified between the ST and ST-LC beverages in the sensory evaluation (P>0.05).U ovom radu ispitivan je utjecaj soja Lactobacillus casei BGP93 kao pomoćne kulture (ST-LC napitak) i Streptococcus thermophilus TA-40 kao starter kulture na fizikalno-kemijska, teksturalna i senzorska svojstva mliječnih napitaka pripremljenih od rekonstituirane kozje sirutke zaostale u proizvodnji sira Coalho. Nisu zabilježene značajne razlike između ispitivanih uzoraka ST i ST-LC u odnosu na kinetiku zakiseljavanja tijekom procesa fermentacije (P>0,05). Ni u jednom od ispitivanih uzoraka nije zapaženo naknadno zakiseljavanje s obzirom da su njihove pH vrijednosti bile stabilne i bez značajnih razlika tijekom 21 dana čuvanja pri 4±1 °C. Tijekom cijelog razdoblja skladištenja oba su uzorka (ST i ST-LC) bila stabilna s obzirom na pH, čvrstoću, kohezivnost, viskoznost i senzorsku procjenu (P>0,05)

Proximate composition determination in goat cheese whey by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)

Background In Brazil, over the last few years there has been an increase in the production and consumption of goat cheeses. In addition, there was also a demand to create options to use the whey extracted during the production of cheeses. Whey can be used as an ingredient in the development of many products. Therefore, knowing its composition is a matter of utmost importance, considering that the reference methods of food analysis require time, trained labor and expensive reagents for its execution. Methods Goat whey samples produced in winter and summer were submitted to proximate composition analysis (moisture, total solids, ashes, proteins, fat and carbohydrates by difference) using reference methods and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The spectral data was preprocessed by baseline correction and the Savitzky–Golay derivative. The models were built using Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) with raw and preprocessed data for each dependent variable (proximate composition parameter). Results The average whey composition values obtained using the referenced methods were in accordance with the consulted literature. The composition did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) between the summer and winter whey samples. The PLSR models were made available using the following figures of merit: coefficients of determination of the calibration and prediction models (R2cal and R2pred, respectively) and the Root Mean Squared Error Calibration and Prediction (RMSEC and RMSEP, respectively). The best models used raw data for fat and protein determinations and the values obtained by NIRS for both parameters were consistent with their referenced methods. Consequently, NIRS can be used to determine fat and protein in goat whey

Lectin, hemolysin and protease inhibitors in seed fractions with ovicidal activity against Haemonchus contortus

Bioactive molecules of plant species are promising alternatives for the chemical control of gastrointestinal nematodes in ruminants. Extracts of native and exotic seed species from Brazil's semi-arid region were tested in vitro in an egg hatch assay and the bioactivity of their proteins was investigated. Each seed species was subjected to three extractions with three types of solvents. All the seeds showed ovicidal activity, which varied according to the solvents. Higher ovicidal activity was found in the molecule fractions of low molecular weight (0.05, Bonferroni test). Hemagglutinating activity was detected in the fractions of C. spectabilis and M. oleifera fractions, hemolysin activity in the A. lebbeck and M. oleifera fractions, serine protease inhibitory activity in the A. lebbeck, I. asarifolia, J. curcas, M. oleifera and R. communis fractions, cysteine protease inhibitor activity in the M. oleifera fraction, and no protein activity in the L. ferrea fraction. The results of this work reveal new plant species with a potential for use in controlling nematode parasites in goats, thus opening a new field of research involving plant protein molecules with ovicidal properties